The last 'fun' tires I bought were some 37x12.5 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws. Those were the best dirt/mud/snow tires I could find for my F250. I put less than 3,000 miles on them before I sold that truck.

 

Summer treads is what I run exclusively, there is a world of difference. Of course that means I mount Blizzaks or Michelin Ice tires sometime after Thanksgiving. The "studless" technology is amazing, it saved my butt when I hit black ice and had to steer around several accidents, including a cop car. I also use a -1 concept with a smaller diameter wheel to allow a narrower tread in winter for optimal traction. This being said I don't put snow tires on my Jag as it is a fair weather machine. I run a Mercedes, Taurus and Explorer in the wintertime. Good luck with your new tires.

 

You're my kind of gambler, knowing that the deck is stacked in your favor! Alcons have far superior stopping power.Base XK
Front: 326mm/12.8" rotors with single-piston calipers
Rear: 326mm/12.8" rotors with single-piston calipers

XKR
Front: 355mm/14.0" rotors with single-piston calipers
Rear: 326mm/12.8" rotors with single-piston calipers

Alcon Option
Front: 400mm/15.75" rotors with 6-piston calipers
Rear: 350mm/13.78" rotors with 4-piston calipers

 

I forget that the 4.2 brakes were tiny (relatively). Yes, Alcons would be far better than the stock brakes.
Well, yeah, that's the point. They are an Optional Upgrade.

 

Was the exhaust or the tires louder on the Mickey Thompsons...when you say a "world of difference" I'm assuming better grip off line, but should I expect other benefits like sharper turning or more road feel?

 

You were very kind to the next owner, those are some sweet tires!

 

No reply on Mickey; yes on better grip, better road feel (that of course is subjective). Sharper turning has more to do with sidewall rigidity than summer/all season. So the extreme case of wearing run-flat tires, it will give very sharp turning, but will also give a feel-everything on the road ride; at least that is what I experienced on my BMW Z4. The summer treads seem to give me better grip in the turns, whereas all-season radials tend to let go sooner. For perspective, I was stopped once by a trooper who said I should not turn so fast; but he responded NO when I asked if the turn I just completed was illegal.